Abrasive tools utilizing rectangular in section nylon monofilaments with abrasive grains embedded homogeneously therein throughout, have been employed to make abrasive finishing tools. Examples of such tools may be seen in the prior applications for U.S. Pat. No. of Alfred F. Scheider et al, Ser. Nos. 216,710 and 409,680 entitled "Rotary Abrasive Tool And Filament Therefor" and "Abrasive Finishing Tool", respectively, filed Jul. 8, 1988 and Sep. 20, 1989, respectively, and the prior applications of R. Brown Warner et al entitled "Flexible Abrasive Grinding Tool", filed Jul. 8, 1988, and "Adhesive Bonded Flexible Abrasive Finishing Tool", Ser. No. 228,438, filed Aug. 5, 1988.
Such tools have proven to be very effective in the abrasive finishing of a wide variety of workpieces such as those made of exotic alloys and composites. For some workpieces an even more aggressive tool is desirable. Also the manufacture of such tools from discrete monofilaments is difficult and expensive.
As illustrated in prior applications Ser. Nos. 216,709 and 409,680 bundles or tufts of such discrete monofilaments may be heated and formed in S-shape configurations to present a fiat side of the monofilament to the work. Such bundles are difficult to handle and form, particularly if a precise tool size and form is desired.
One of the more common abrasive finishing wheels employed is a flap wheel. Typically such flap wheels are formed by a radial array of sheets of paper or rayon cloth with a layer of abrasive grit such as aluminum oxide resin bonded to one side thereof. Such tools are useful for contoured polishing, cutting and blending of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastic and wood. However, such tools can only be run in one direction. The layer of abrasive adhered to one side of the cloth tends to wear the cloth or paper of the adjacent flap. Also during operation buildup may occur between the flaps in part because of lack of abrasive on one side of the flap and that the tool runs in only one direction. Also, such tools are usually not sufficiently aggressive for some applications, particularly where exotic alloys or composites are the workpieces. If a tool could be formed of an array of plastic straps or tapes with abrasive embedded therein homogeneously throughout, the tool could run in opposite directions, be self-cleaning, and be sufficiently aggressive for work on exotic alloys and composites.